Let it begin, let it begiiiin!

I had my own little carnival last night [literally, carni+Vale= "goodbye, meat!"] after the Rally.

Mathematically, the fasting doesn't start until Wednesday, but specifically in Grand Rapids the kickoff rally was the kicking-off of our 40 days of prayer & fasting. As the hamster in Bolt says, "Let it begiiiiin!"

When it's Lent, I usually start fasting the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, only to give myself the trial days before the fast officially begins so that I can wean myself off meals and in case I have an oopsie moment, like in college, when I got all excited to eat my burger in the cafeteria and my friends all looked at me in shock and said, "Seth, it's Friday." I actually had my teeth around the sesame bun, and my tongue could taste the grilled salaciousness when they stopped me, mouths agape, as if I'd just eaten my pet dog. Clearly, I hadn't yet been in the habit of abstinence.

So I encourage you to use these advance days for practicing, getting out of old habits, and learning the new rhythm of grocery shopping and meal prep without meat (or chocolate or TV or whatever the Lord has asked you to renounce in order to hear Him better). I liked Jim Sprague's idea of fasting from media, and only allowing the Word to be your source for news.

The Rally went very well, even if it didn't go as scheduled (yet isn't that true of so many things in life?). Our keynote speaker delivered a very abbreviated version of his prepared speech in which he reminded us that standing up for what is just and standing up for our principles never comes easily, but called to it we must stand, even if it means sacrificing, especially if it means sacrificing, because that has always been and will ever be the Way of Love, as demonstrated at Calvary.

Moments prior, we heard the courageous story of Nancy Fohlbrook, who ended the life of her daughter in utero and now commits herself to prayer & fasting for an end to abortion. It takes courage to admit when we have caused the Lord sorrow, a reality we have all witnessed at one time or another in our own lives. We have all done something to hurt the One who gave us Life.

So, we begin 40 days of prayer, 40 days of fasting, rendering our hearts and not our garments. We all stand in need of the Lord's Mercy as we stand for what is Just.

Remember, the end of abortion is only the beginning of what the Lord wants to accomplish in this world, in this city, in our hearts.